Eric and Inga Julber

On the eve of his 90th birthday, retired attorney Eric Julber at home in Carmel, is proud of his 1958 landmark Supreme Court victory in One, Inc. v Oleson–the case that affirmed free speech for homosexuals. Julber fought for One‘s right to use the U.S. Postal Service, in the face of personal teasing, hard politics, and a “timid” ACLU. “It was enough to win the thing. That’s all I cared about.”

“Let people hate all they want,” says Julber, “as long as what they publish is the truth… let it come out in the open, debate it. Let others come on with contrary facts. Always allow the right for it to be expressed and debated.” Julber has not read Jonathan Rauch’s just-reissued Kindly Inquisitors, The New Attacks on Free Thought, which explains these ideas for our time. He lived it.

“People should be free to say anything they want. If it’s too stupid, it will be rejected by the listener.”